Futher proof tat recovery of tax credits is ONLY to punish us and maintain the pretence that overpayments are our fault. TCC has always maintained that tax credit overpayments cost more to recover than write off!

Would be interesting to know how much was recovered from the £5m spent on recovery .......

about 3/9d probably!

"The best way to take control over a people and control them utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptiblereductions. In this way the people will not see those rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reversed."

Let's hope PJ's sudden and brief GMTV appearance (we didn't dare pre-warn folk as the fickle media don't always do what they promise if 'juicier' stories come along or anything else happens)will kick-start another flurry of media interest and this persecution of the innocent will soon stop...

Seems the Lib Dems will be the first to deliver, folks. Watch this space...

Trinity: No one has ever done anything like this.Neo:That's why it's going to work.

>>Seems the Lib Dems will be the first to deliver, folks. Watch this space...<<

Well if that's true I know where my vote will be going!!

"The best way to take control over a people and control them utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptiblereductions. In this way the people will not see those rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reversed."

In fact, the TCC core group is just now working on our response to the Lib Dems' 5 point plan. It's hard to know whether the Lib Dems - who have David Laws in their line-up who has always been an astute critic of the tax credit 'system' - have taken the initiative themselves in this area or whether our collective lobbying has been extremely fruitful. We will perhaps never know the answer to this, but in any case thanks to everyone who has written to their MP about the tax credit system generally, whilst seeking support for their own case. As soon as the Lib Dem 5 point plan becomes widely discussed in the media, I hope everyone will write (again) to their MPs either to congratulate their own Lib Dem MP for being the first main party to come up with a policy for putting things right (and to ask that that they go further than that to announce a full write-off on the grounds of cost and human cost ), or to lobby their Conservative or New Labour MP to follow suit. If the Lib Dems' proposals are widely welcomed (and the TCC will not be the only user group, welfare rights organisation or children's charity responding), this should set the stage for the Conservatives to announce their own policies, and should the Labour party then realise they are losing further ground, this may prompt more generosity and compassion on Gordon Brown's part than we have seen to date. Not that I am holding my breath on that last one.

So please keep a look out in the media for political comment on this issue and have your ten pennyworth with your MP and daily paper, as it all helps! And please look out here and at You must be logged in to see this link. for the document itself and the forthcoming TCC reply as we will then circulate to our media contacts.

Trinity: No one has ever done anything like this.Neo:That's why it's going to work.

I've now had a reply to my letter asking for - in this case - the Lib Dems to incorporate an Amnesty in their policy, and although they haven't gone quite as far as that, recent events, and the letter I've just received from Nick Clegg's PA has promised fixed awards and a the right to an independent review if the Lib Dems were to be elected.

As soon as I can, I will get the reply up on the website and/or here, but don't have a facility to scan documents and turn them into text. It was, however, a helpful response. Still waiting on Brown's (wherever it ended up) and for George Osborne's, on behalf of David Cameron. Will keep you posted.

Trinity: No one has ever done anything like this.Neo:That's why it's going to work.

As this thread says, though - it is all about punishment for us for the perceived crime of being lower income earners/families trusting the Treasury to pay tax credits right. For anyone who has read recently how war veterans have had their pensions overpaid in error, and has been heartened that the government has shown some compassion and discretion in their case not to claw the money back - it does beg the question why we are still the only group to be punished for the government's own errors! Why should this be?

It's my experience that the 'chronologically gifted' have seen enough of life to recognise an injustice when they see it, and will fight for their rights with dedication, passion and confidence in their having the moral right and eventually winning through. Maybe it's perceived by government that older people are an asset, a powerful voting force, and are not be messed with?

In these times of ageism and devaluing of older people, that's good, but whilst I am glad to see that in this instance the war veterans are not being walked over by our beloved government, I believe the same rules and principles should be applied to us.

One to write to Brown and our MPs about, surely?

Trinity: No one has ever done anything like this.Neo:That's why it's going to work.